Interviews (251)

• May 14, 2026
• Colleen Johnson
• 4
• 0

Looking for a mid week show to shake it up a bit before we fully dive into those warmer temps? London via Wales trio The Joy Formidable will be in town tonight at one of my personal favorite venues, Arts At The Armory, and billed as an evening with, it’s sure to be one for the books. These dates, and the bands’ return to the East Coast, are long delayed as these are rescheduled dates, and tonight will serve as the band’s first show in MA in four years.

The night will feature of course a set of Joy Formidable tracks, but also solo moments for both Shy Western (Ritzy) and Rhydian Dayfdd’s respective solo project as well. I chatted with Rhydian the day before the band flew over state-side about the upcoming dates, a bit of realness from Rhydian when it comes to the current touring industry and what’s to come from the band. The band is about to hit twenty years together, and it’s still going up from here! You can find our chat below!

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New England Sounds: You’re about to fly over here to the States. I live in Boston, so this is to preview the Somerville date, which I believe is the one of the last shows of the tour. But these are rescheduled dates. How have the final preparations been going for this tour? 

Rhydian Dayfdd: Yeah, they’ve been great, thank you. Very busy at the moment, with lots of stuff coming up. Working on a thing to celebrate The Big Roar, very, very soon. So we’ve got lots of recording going on, amidst the rehearsing. Can’t wait, and it’s nice to be able to finally put those shows in. Unfortunately, we did have to cancel them in the past, but the West Coast was amazing to reconnect with people. That’s what we’re looking forward to again. The live side is a huge part of this band, and I just kind of feel like music is very simply a powerful force. Connecting with people, especially with all the shit things that are happening, not just in the States, but lots of places, and there’s certainly some bizarre things happening. I think that the purity of just talking to people and connecting and seeing them eye-to- eye again, and obviously the connective force of music is much needed. And yeah, really looking forward to that. 

NES: Definitely a good escape for a while, for those in attendance. And then, both you and Ritzy have your own solo projects. You’ve both released albums this year, but you’re doing this tour as kind of a night with The Joy Formidable, but you’re also going to be playing some of your solo music. How have you been curating these sets, these nights? Is it going to be kind of switching around every night, what’s maybe part of the plan if you can share?
Rhydian: We’ve just been dropping in songs from all the various projects. I suppose mainly, Joy Formidable songs, but yeah, dropped in Shy Western songs, and some of mine. And going through a lot of the back catalog. You know, I suppose it fits in quite nicely with connecting with people again. We’re almost twenty years in now, so there’s so many songs out there (laughs). We’ve got our music club which has been very active, a good seven years now, and we’re constantly putting music there as well. So there’s a treasure trove to go through (laughs), so yeah, it’s quite dynamic really. We’ll see what happens on the nights, yeah, we like that aspect too (laughs). 

NES: And, I was going to say, I know you’re about to come up on twenty years of working together. Do you still kind of learn things from each other, despite experiencing things together creatively for twenty years? Or maybe did you always think you would still be working together, the two of you? 

Rhydian: I think it’s really important to grow as a person, first and foremost. And I think with that, you inevitably keep things fresh. We absolutely love still creating together, and the chemistry is there, and we’re excited always to a) be going out live, and b) going into the studio and seeing what comes up next. And I think when you have that, it’s actually very, very simple. That’s the key driving force, as opposed to chasing something else. Some kind of external validation, so once that’s there, absolutely, you grow and each album we release is a new episode. So yeah, it would be strange if you’re not still doing that, really. But I think what I’m saying is fundamentally, I think it comes down to what you value as a person. Growing is a big part of that, and the music, then follows, I suppose. 

NES: And then I’m sure you’re always both writing, both working on music. I’m sure you can’t say much, but I know that new music from The Joy Formidable is on the horizon. When it comes to the process, are you both in the room together, hammering out every moment together? Do you both bring your own ideas to the band? How do you go about it these days? I’m sure you’ve gotten into a pretty steady rhythm when it comes to music creation. 

Rhydian: Yeah, I think challenging yourself as a writer is important. I suppose that kind of touches on what you were asking me before. And so, we do it in different ways. I’m always writing, Ritzy’s always writing, so we do it apart, we get together, as well. I think that is important, as well, that you get in a room together, but it’s also okay to do it apart, you know. I think having a whole range of versatility and variety is important. And now we have a new drummer with us as well, so there’s that extra injection of a different kind of energy. So there will be stuff written in the room with him, stuff aside from the room. All of it, really. I think one thing feeds the other. Before we do the next Joy Formidable full record, as I said, we’re just going to take a moment to celebrate The Big Roar as well, and we’re excited to kind of give that a new life, I suppose. We’re talking about collaborating with various artists on that, and that’s super exciting to us. It kind of feeds into a little bit of what we feel is really needed at the moment. Which is supporting each other,  the connecting and the community. 

NES: Is there someone who would be a dream collaboration for you? That you think would be a really good fit. 

Rhydian: Yeah, I mean, absolutely. There are so many, off the top of my head, I would love to have Nick Cave on something, PJ Harvey, Bjork. There are some great drummers; if we could do a double-drummer song. There are songs on The Big Roar that would be appropriate, but yeah, lots. 

NES: Put you on the spot. Then, touring-wise, I know this will be your first Mass date in four years; the last time you were here was in Cambridge at The Sinclair in 2022. But obviously, touring has changed so much. Of course, being expensive and all things, but a softer one. You’re in a different phase of life. What are the three things that you are definitely packing in your suitcase? I’m sure touring essentials have changed since you were younger. 

Rhydian: Yeah! Three essentials in the suitcase, absolutely a book for me. There’s in-between the gigs that could potentially have a lot of sitting down going on. Especially on the road in the States, there are some big distances, although it is beautiful. So a book, for sure, headphones, digesting, and a great time to reflect, and listening to stuff on the road  is actually one of my favorite times to listen to stuff. And last one, a guitar, yeah! 

NES: Pretty crucial! And then to wrap it up, you’re going to be doing that really collaborative version of The Giant Roar coming up, new music, and you have the tour coming up. Are there any hopes for you as an artist, solo, together? I can tell from social media that you’re very supportive of each other’s projects, so a very collaborative effort there. But maybe hopes or goals for you, maybe personally, in the next few months? 

Rhydian: For the band or in general? 

NES: For the band, for you. I know it may sound a little cheesy. 

Rhydian: No, no, it’s a great question because I kind of feel like there’s so much grifting and turmoil going on, I think it kind of widens up, the first thing that comes to mind for me is we really do need to change some things systemically, and part of that is rebuilding stuff from the ground up. And when that comes to music, which I think is really important, it’s such a struggle for musicians, not just musicians, but anybody who’s in the music industry to survive now. Especially what would you say, the low to middle-level. That community and support is what I’m looking for. Now to come together, and that we don’t fall prey to these various forces that are trying to divide us, fuck that. That’s what I would hope for more than anything. Music is a big part of that, isn’t it? There’s that, and we’re trying our best to do that through various things. The club being one of them, but other initiatives and other things that we’re working on. Aside from that, I suppose, genuinely, that and these things hopefully come into place relatively soon, so there isn’t a great drop off of great, independent, creative people going. Because a lot of them are having to stop, aren’t they? Because it’s not sustainable. So (laughs) that would definitely be a hope.

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The band will be at Arts at the Armory in Somerville this evening. Doors are at seven pm, with the show kicking off at 8 pm. The show will feature both solo sets for Shy Western (Ritzy) and Rhydian Dafydd as well as a Joy Formidable set. Limited tickets can be picked up here!